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Q-Tips: Critical Interviewing Tips
Key Job Interview Advice -- #2

These job interviewing related tips -- preparing for job interviews, tips for handling tricky interview questions, and more --
have been gathered from numerous sources throughout Quintessential Careers and organized here for your convenience.

When you interview for a job, know your resume, cautions Diana
LeGere, of Executive Final Copy "I have interviewed many people who
didn't have a clue to the content in their resume. The resume was
written, and they simply delivered the goods. Your resume is your
advertising campaign. Know what you stand for! Read your resume and
be sure that you can back up each claim. Lack of integrity is an easy
way to be eliminated from the competition."

Time for diction lessons? Heavy regional accents have a negative
impact on hiring decisions, according to a recent study by the
University of North Texas, reported by Taeyma Sapp in Business Week.
After listening to recordings of 10 men with college degrees from
various regions of the country reading the same passage, 56 executive
recruiters ranked candidates from California and Minnesota as the
most employable because of their neutral accents. A New Jersey
candidate with a doctoral degree and a doctoral candidate from North
Georgia were ranked as the least employable.

The majority of factors that employers consider before extending a
job offer are absolutely in the jobseeker's control, asserts Diana
LeGere of Executive Final Copy. Take image for instance. If you were
to examine a product that claimed superiority but was presented in an
unattractive package, would you buy it? Probably not. In fact, you
would be twice as likely to purchase an inferior product with a
remarkable package.

One of the most dreaded interview questions (and it's not even really
a question) is "Tell me about yourself." Eric Schlesinger of PFPC, a
company that puts on career fairs for college students, provides this
helpful template for responding (it's geared to college students but
can be adapted by others):
"My name is _____. I will be graduating from ____ with a degree in
______. I have had some experience in __________ (industry/function)
doing _______. Most recently, I _______. Before that I was
___________. My areas of expertise (core transferable skills) are
____________. My particular strengths are (relate to the specific
opportunity you are interviewing for) __________________. I am
interested in how I might contribute to your organization."

Employers aren't hard to please, says Diana LeGere of Executive Final
Copy. In fact, they want only three things:

A job candidate with skills (quality) who is a...

corporate fit (value) tucked into a ...

professional image (package).

Initially you acquire the interview by focusing careful attention to
developing your resume. It's important to remember that a resume
never buys a job. It merely buys an appointment for an interview. By
handling the interview as a champion, you will get a job offer. Think
of your resume as a product description. You are the product! Once
you entice the employer (buyer), you are halfway there. A
professional resume writer can easily convey your skills in an
accurate assessment appropriate to the position you are applying for.
Once you've accomplished that, the interview stage is potentially
easier than wading through the sea of good and bad resumes.

Nonverbal behaviors that make job candidates appear to be lying in
interviews include licking the lips, coughing nervously, blushing, or
restricting hand gestures, says Peter Thomson in his book,
Secrets
of Communication: Be Heard and Get Results. The lesson that you shouldn't lie in an interview is
obvious. What may be less obvious is that exhibiting these nonverbal
behaviors may make you seem dishonest even when you're completely
truthful. In our experience, the two most important nonverbals in a
job interview are a smile and a forceful voice (yes, we know voice is
verbal, but we're talking more about HOW you project your voice than
what you say). Employers frequently cite lack of enthusiasm as a
major reason for not hiring a candidate; a warm and consistent smile
in the interview is the best way to show enthusiasm. And the best way
to show confidence is with a voice that's not timid, but strong and
forceful.

Is it okay to take notes to an interview -- in other words a sort of
"cheat sheet" with key words/phrases to help you focus and remember
situations? Most experts discourage taking notes to an interview.
While they do show you are prepared for the interview, they also show
that you are not prepared enough -- otherwise you would have the
information in your head. Some people benefit from composing
interview responses in writing and reading over them before the
interview. If you'd like to try the technique, visit our
Practice
Interviews.

Don't memorize your responses or they will sound over-rehearsed. Try not to
take any notes to the interview; instead, use a copy of your resume
to help trigger your key points. But if you feel as though you really
must have notes, keep them as unobtrusive as possible -- perhaps
using a small notepad.

And don't fret about not saying all your key
phrases and comments. You can always include some follow-up in your
thank-you letter (which you must write), samples of which you
can find here: Sample
Job Interview Thank-You Letters.

A number of companies use group or panel interviewing techniques. If
they happen late in the job-hunt process, these interviews sometimes
are more like informal meetings where the focus is on the level of a
general discussion. However, these group interviews can also be
extremely tough sessions, in which each person is lobbing questions
at you in rapid fire. To prepare yourself, try to talk with someone
at the company to ask what to expect at the interview. If this
interview is your first with the company, prepare as you would for
any job interview. Anticipate questions these people might ask you
and prepare responses. Prepare for both traditional interview
questions (such as, "why do you want to work for this company"), as
well as behavioral interview questions (such as, "tell us about a
time when you had to overcome huge obstacles.").

You can find
information about interviewing and interviewing tips at
Quintessential
Careers: Guide to Interviewing Resources. Finally, be prepared and be
yourself; show enthusiasm for the position and for the company. Be
ready with some questions to ask your interviewers, and make sure you
send thank you notes to everyone who interviews you. Ask for business
cards to make sure you have everyone's name with the correct spelling.

What can you do to keep your mind from going blank in an interview,
creating an awkward silence? Those silences in job interviews seem
like they last for hours when your mind is racing for an answer, but
all you draw is a blank. Not only is it embarrassing, it usually
kills the interview. The easy answer is that you need more experience
interviewing -- and more practice and rehearsals before big
interviews. The more you rehearse, the less likely you will draw a
blank. The best way is to ask a friend to serve as the interviewer
and fire questions at you.

Even if you've
practiced, you should have a system down to give your mind more time
to think, such as asking the interviewer to rephrase the question or
rephrasing the question yourself and asking the interviewer if that
was what he/she had in mind. Many employers we've talked to about
this issue are split on our next piece of advice, so take it with a
grain of salt: If you carry a portfolio with you to your interviews,
keep a sheet of paper in there with a few memory aids that you can
glance at to jog your brain. Keep in mind that some interviewers
might find this practice odd.

What kinds of questions should you ask prospective employers in an
interview, when you are asked, "Do you have any questions?" Employers
are truly interested in answering your questions, but mainly they ask
you because they want to see how prepared you are for the interview.
If you don't have any questions, the interviewer may assume that you
are not really interested in the job or too lazy to prepare any
questions. Thus, have some questions ready! There are numerous
questions you could ask in reply to that question:

You could ask
fact-based questions about the company, division, branch, or product.
Example: "How do you determine the value customers are receiving from
your products or services?"

You could ask specific job-related
questions for the position you are interviewing for. Example:
"How much of the current position involves meeting with clients?"

You
could ask about future plans of the company, division, branch, or
product. Example: What are some of the challenges you see this
organization (or division, branch, brand) facing in the next year?"

You could ask questions about the hiring process. Example: "When can
I expect to hear back from you?"

You could ask a question that places
you in the job. Example: "What kind of projects/assignments would I
be working on first?"

You could ask about anything that you are
really interesting in getting an answer to that was not already
discussed during the interview (but avoid asking "me-first" question
about salary and benefits).

A common interview question is: "Where do you see yourself in the
next several years?" Employers ask this question partly to see if you
truly are seeking a permanent position. This question is also one of
the most popular for employers to ask because it's a way (they think)
of understanding a prospective employee's drive and ambition. Yet,
you don't want to answer that question too ambitiously: "I plan to be
running this company," or "I plan to be your boss." But you need to
show some direction and ambition.

A good answer would be something
like: "I would hope I am still with this organization in a position
of increased responsibility, making a vital contribution to its
success." You could also add a statement about professional career
growth to your answer: "I hope to be in a position of increased
responsibility that allows me to continually sharpen and grow my
career skills, while making a significant contribution to the success
of this organization."

If a company has a "business casual" dress code, should a man still
wear a nice suit to an interview there? How to dress for interviews
continues to be a complex area as more companies adopt business
casual dress codes. The rule of thumb is that you never want to dress
below the dress code when interviewing, but dressing too far above it
can also be risky, possibly signalling that the person doesn't fit
into the culture of the organization -- and fit is a big issue. Try to
fit the part. Find out more about the dress code of the executive
staff. Do they always dress casually, or just on certain days? Is the
dress code different when working internally than when dealing with
external clients? For some general attire advice, go to
Dress for Success
for Men.

Ever get asked a question in a job interview that doesn't seem to
have anything to do with the job? "Whom do you admire most and why?"
is an example. We call this type of question a "wild card" or
"off-the-wall" question, which is meant to see how well you think on
your feet and whether you will get flustered. While you can prepare
for most of the standard interview questions, these wild-card
questions can catch even the experienced interviewee off guard; thus,
the key is to not allow yourself to get rattled by it. Keep in mind
that there really are no wrong answers, but some answers are better
than others.

As with all interview answers, it's best to answer in a
way that helps you state your case that you are the right person for
the position. The answer to the "most admired person" question, for
example, could be a famous leader, enabling you to discuss the value
of leadership and the leadership traits you have; or perhaps a famous
businessperson, allowing you to cite the value of business acumen and
your key business skills; or perhaps an athlete, opening the door to
talking about the value of teamwork and your experiences as a team
player.

For interview prep, check out this article
Types of Job
Interviews, which looks at the common aspects of all job
interviews and then takes you through the differences between
traditional job interviews and behavioral-based interviews. Read up
on all aspects of job interviewing -- including how to answer common
questions -- by going to
Quintessential
Careers: Job Interviewing Tutorial.

How should you deal with interview questions about grades if your
academic performance has been less than stellar? Take comfort in the
fact that many employers are more interested in a job-seeker's
previous accomplishments and in what skills they could bring to the
job. GPA is some measure of academic success, but what it really
measures is questionable -- and there are certainly no conclusive
studies that tie academic success to workplace success. One way
around an average overallGPA is to focus on the upper-division
courses or courses in the major. This GPA is generally higher. So, if
you have a 2.1 overall, but a 3.1 in your major, use your major GPA
on your resume and in your interviews. Second, examine mitigating
circumstances. Did you hold a part-time (or full-time) job while
attending college? If you held down part-time jobs to pay for
college, or worked full-time while attending college, you can talk
about the lessons learned from multitasking and balancing work and
education. Third, examine your extracurricular activities. Did you
participate in an extraordinary number of extracurricular and/or
volunteer activities? Use these activities to help explain that you
were seeking a well-rounded education that included both classroom
learning and experiential learning. Finally, if the employer is
irrevocably focused on GPA, you probably don't want to work there
anyway. The degree is what matters -- not always the path one takes to
get it.

Many disappointed job-seekers have been heard to say, "but the
interviewer said I was perfect for the job." If the interviewer
indicated you had a great interview, but you don't hear anything, ask
yourself some questions. First, did you follow standard rules of
job-interviewing etiquette and write thank-you notes (or letters) to
each person who interviewed you? Second, did you ever call the
employer back and express your interest in the position? You may also
want to read two articles. First,
FAQs About Thank
You Letters, which includes all the reasons you should write
thank-you notes -- and provides sample letters. Second,
The Art of
the Follow-Up After Job Interviews, which discusses what
job-seekers should do after job interviews.

The problem could be with your interview style, your references, or something else. Call one of
the people you interviewed with -- the one you felt you had the most
rapport with -- and politely ask the person to critique your
performance. Once you have broken the ice, you should ask in a
non-confrontational manner why you didn't get the job offer.

The keys to successful job interviewing are three-fold: research,
preparation, and practice. Job-seekers can usually discover what kind
of interview to expect by doing some basic research; in fact, some
companies even post this information on their corporate career
section of their Web sites. Once you have some knowledge about the
type of interview(s) to expect, the next step is preparation; prepare
your answers and anecdotes to properly respond to anticipated
questions. Finally, practice giving your answers to the questions;
the trick is being rehearsed while sounding spontaneous when at the
actual interview.

Answering questions about how and why you left previous employers is
always a tricky issue for job-seekers. If you left under negative
circumstances, the key is to put a positive spin on the story. Most
of us -- at one time or another -- have been fired, asked to resign, or
been rightsized - so that's not really the issue. One final note
about your response: be sure that besides your verbal response to the
question, that your nonverbal gestures are not telling another story.
Be confident and positive.

If you want to be prepared for just about any kind of interview,
check out our
Job
Interview Questions Database, which
includes The Interview Question Database, 109 typical traditional and
behavioral job interview questions, and The Practice Interviews,
where you can test your responses to typical interview questions.

The key to successfully answering interview questions is understanding
the purpose behind each question. Your answers should always be
focused on the prize -- getting to the next step, getting the job
offer. Thus, your answers should always be framed in the context of
how your mix of education, experience, and skills will add to the
company -- and make the interviewer's job easier/better. Once you
have a handle on what the position entails, you should have a good
idea of how to frame your answers to skills-based questions,
identifying and matching the key skills you can bring to the employer.

Every job-seeker should have a one-minute sales pitch. While parts of
the pitch can be general strengths and skills you can offer to any
employer -- including your unique
selling proposition (USP), you
should, of course, tailor your answer to the employer and job at hand
to provide the strongest possible sales pitch. And regardless of
whether you end up using the sales pitch in the interview, you should
most certainly write it in your thank-you letter following the
interview.

In all situations, from your cover letter to the interview, you must
be able to showcase your accomplishments and achievements in your
previous experiences - and build a platform for showing how you'll be
able to do these same things (and more!) for a new employer. For help
with focusing on your achievements, read:
For Job-Hunting
Success: Track and Leverage Your Accomplishments.

At the end of the interview, assuming you feel it was a good
interview for a job you want with an employer that is a match with
your values, you as the job-seeker should ask for the job. There is
really no harm in asking. It certainly reinforces your position as
someone who not only is interested in the job, but is the best
candidate for the position. The worst the employer can do is tell you
the company is still interviewing other candidates; and perhaps, the
interviewer will think you a bit overconfident. How do you do it?

Wait until the end of the interview, as things are wrapping up. Then
simply restate the key skills/education/experience that the employer
is seeking and how you fit exactly with what the employer is looking
for. Stress the overall fit between you and the organization (in
terms of values, culture, etc.), and then simply state that you want
the job offer.

One caveat: Be sure you really want the job before
making such a bold request because if the employer then offers you
the position they will expect you to accept it rather quickly -- and
perhaps on the spot. A less risky interview closer if you are
interested, but not quite sure if the fit is perfect is to end the
interview by telling the interviewer that you are interested in the
job and asking about the next step in the process.

A significant rule of job-hunting and interviewing is to never, never
say anything bad about former bosses or employers - no matter how
much you want to ventilate. Simply come up with a reason for leaving
your last job. A common response is something along the lines that
you had achieved all you could, and it was time to move to a higher
level of challenges. Focus on accomplishments and challenges, not
learning - and don't make the answer too self-centered. You could
also say the organizational structure was such that you really had
nowhere to go internally, so unfortunately you are looking at new
opportunities and employers.

You might want to review key interviewing issues with the
Quintessential Careers
Job Interviewing Tutorial, which is designed to help you become
more knowledgeable about all aspects of job interviews, from the
importance of establishing rapport, to nonverbal cues, to types of
interviews and types of interview questions (and how to best answer
them).

Asking questions in any interview situation is critical for
job-seekers; when job-seekers ask questions during interviews,
potential employers perceive it as a sign of interest in the company.
In our interviewing resources section you'll find
Questions
You Can Ask at the Interview, all of which could be asked during
an interview.

If you have some sort of negative issue in your job history (such as
getting fired), don't raise it -- ever -- but especially not in your
cover letter or resume. Even in the interview, let the employer bring
it up. Once the issue has been raised, the best answer is always the
truth. Admit that you made a mistake -- and, more importantly, show
how you have learned from that mistake. Read our article,
Getting Fired: An
Opportunity for Change and Growth.

Diana LeGere, of Executive Final Copy, has a piece of career advice
that we have certainly tried to impress upon those we counsel: "Ask
not what the company can do for you, ask what you can do for the
company. Remember the prospective employer is buying you. Companies
make quite an investment over the years in terms of benefits, wages
and company rewards. Choosing the wrong candidate will result in lost
salaries, and an unfilled job, funds spent on employment ads,
recruiters and time lost pursuing the unfavorable task of
interviewing are to name a few. Therefore, they care more about
meeting their needs than yours. Ideally, you want a match that suits
you both. So, keep your needs in mind. However, for the sake of
landing the job, focus on how you will benefit the company. Inquire
about their concerns and prepare to offer solid logical solutions to
their issues. You may have been able to recognize some problems
during your initial research of the company. Why not arrive with
knowledge of the employer's corporate issues and a plan to glide
through them for positive results? This gesture will clearly define
problem-solving and teamwork skills. The more you can do for the
company, the better candidate you will be to join the firm's team."

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